--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - McMurrin, Joseph W. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 8 number: 12 published: 1905-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Joseph W. McMurrin, "Our Work—Missionary Work," *Improvement Era* 8, no. 12 (October 1905): 952–954.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0812unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0812unse start_page: 952 end_page: 954 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1905-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0812unse publication_year: 1905 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1905, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Our Work—Missionary Work work, it is thought that perhaps better results will come from the labor, who make the effort are not known as missionaries. First, then, if those it is we introduce greater individual work among the proposed that young people of Zion; that is, that we labor to establish an interest in Mutual Improvement work, every individual engaging in it and seeking to influence for good all those with whom they come in contact, and es- pecially the indifferent and careless. All are now expected to engage in this labor and not wait for formal calls.We are told in the Doctrine and Covenants that the Lord is not well pleased with those who wait to be commanded in all things. The fear is expressed that we have confined ourselves to the study of the program and to presiding, and have not felt impressed to go out and labor personally among the boys. We urge upon all officers that they take hold of this in lieu of formal missionary work, and make every OUR WORK. 953 possible effort to enthuse the members also with the spirit of it. Then we urge that more particular attention be given to the members by the officers. We should encourage the members by personal attention. En- courage in ourselves the spirit of the missionaries abroad. For many years the General Board have been doing a great deal of the work in mapping out programs, etc., and suggesting plans for the carrying on of the Mutual Improvement work, ^nd the brethren now feel that there should be in every ward experienced workers who can, and will, do much of this work for themselves. Take up this missionary work in this spirit, and much good can be accomplished. The foreign missionary preaches and labors day and night, because he is filled with the spirit of his work, and we should encourage the same devotion to the work assigned us to do. It is possible that a lick of patriotism arises among the members of our associations because of the officers not giving enough attention to the wishes of the young men in the selection of the officers, etc., and ithas been suggested that in these matters, the desires of the members be ascertained, and, so far as compatible with good government, that these be deferred to. In the General Board, it was decided that occasional reports would be called for from the members of the Board as to the individual mission- ary work being performed by each member of the Board, and it is sug- gested that a similar report be called for in all the stake and ward offi- cers' meetings. At thp close of the remarks of Elder McMu-rin, the following reso- ution, presented by Elder J. Golden Kimball, was adopted: "Resolved, That we adopt this informal individual and general mis- sionary work, which has been presented to the conference, in lieu of the system heretofore in use." ASSOCIATIONS IN FOREIGN LANDS. The secretary of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations has received reports from Samoa and Australia of mutual improvement work, in those far distant lands. It appears from the report sent from President James Duckworth, of the Australian Mission, that there are last one being organ- six associations now organized in that mission, the ized only a short time ago. These associations are all conjoint. An ex- cellentwork is being done by the young people, and the Mutual Im- provement Associations are doing much good in that region. There are, 954 IMPROVEMENT ERA. in the five associations reports, 142 enrolled members, with an average attendance of 51 per cent; 217 weekly meetings had been held, 465 ex- ercises given from the manual, and 730 questions answered. A report has also been received from the Samoan mission, in which there are four associations, with a total membership of 122, with an average attendance of 72; 124 meetings were held. The exercises in the Samoan Mission were partly from the manual, and the remainder from the Book of Mormon, Life of Christ, and the Articles of Faith. Several of the native members of the Church are acting as officers in the